Pensacola

Pensacola, Florida, holds the distinction of being the site of battles in the American Revolution, War of 1812, and the Civil War.

American Revolution:

Built atop Gage Hill by the British in 1778 to protect the city from invasion, Fort George was the site of fierce fighting during the American Revolution between Patriot-aligned Spanish forces and British forces. During the Siege of Pensacola, it was surrendered to the Spanish and eventually renamed Fort San Miguel. While the original fort no longer stands, a recreation of the fort was completed in 1976, and archeological digs have been conducted on the site to learn more about the fighting there.

War of 1812:

After the Spanish governor of Pensacola, Mateo González Manrique, refused to surrender, Andrew Jackson and his troops charged through downtown Pensacola and overwhelmed the British battery there. In defeat, British troops fled to Fort San Carlos, later renamed Fort Barrancas, but destroyed the fort and powder magazine before departing to render it useless as an American base.

Civil War:

Fort Barrancas, previously known as Fort San Carlos, was one of four fortifications protecting Florida's Pensacola Bay and the U.S. Navy Yard from enemy attack. Fort Pickens on Santa Rosa Island and Fort McRee on Perdido Key guarded the channel. Fort Barrancas and its water battery, situated on a bluff facing the harbor entrance, could support their crossfire and fire shots at ships that entered the bay and harbor. Today, Fort Barrancas and Fort Pickens are open to the public, but very little remains of Fort McRee today.